The New York Times reports that the Markle foundation will today issue a study that used extensive polling and focus group discussions to find out what US Internet users want. The number one finding: users want more input into internet decision making, and find existing institutions opaque. Update: The report is now online in .pdf.

As a participant in a focus group, and a reader of a draft of the document, I can state that the Markle effort--which took about a year and cost a LOT of money--does not attempt to provide any solutions to the desires it identifies, nor does it even offer much discussion of whether they are reasonable. The message, for what it worth, is loud and clear: users love the Internet, don't want it censored by government, but wish that someone, anyone, even the government, would arrange things so that they feel more empowered.

For legislators and political candidates, who I imagine will be the main consumers of this information, perhaps the most surprising finding is that users tend to support Internet taxes. For ICANN, perhaps the most disturbing finding is that users feel Internet rule-making institutions should be accountable to the public.

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